September 14, 2017

In recognition of its expertise in serving adults with congenital heart disease (CHD), the Adolescent and Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program at Nationwide Children's Hospital and The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center is one of the first in the U.S. to receive accreditation from the Adult Congenital Heart Association (ACHA). ACHA is a national organization focused on patient advocacy, education, and research. ACHA connects patients, family members and healthcare providers to form an Adult Congenital Heart community to improve the lives of those living with CHD.

Individuals with CHD, the most common birth defect diagnosed in one in 100 births, are living longer. There are now 1.4 million adults in the U.S. living with one of the many different types of congenital heart defects that range among simple, moderate, and complex.

“This accreditation validates that Nationwide Children’s and The Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center has developed a leading adult congenital heart disease program that provides a formalized, comprehensive care model for delivering quality CHD care ,” said Curt Daniels, MD, director of the Adolescent and Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program at The Heart Center at Nationwide Children's Hospital and The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

The Adolescent and Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program received accreditation by meeting ACHA’s criteria, which includes medical services and personnel requirements, and going through a rigorous accreditation process, both of which were developed over a number of years through a collaboration with doctors, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, and ACHD patients, and has been endorsed by The American College of Cardiology and The American Heart Association.

Established in 2000, the Adolescent and Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program has become one of the largest and leading ACHD programs in the United States with an average annual patient growth of 20 percent – treating more than 3,800 patients each year. Patients with all forms of congenital heart disease, from simple to complex, receive treatment from the specialized team, including patients with pulmonary hypertension and cardiovascular connective tissue disorders.

Patients are seen at both Nationwide Children’s Hospital and at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, which allows patient care to be individualized utilizing the most appropriate resources from each institution. The Adolescent and Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program is committed to improving ACHD care not only through excellence in patient care, but also through research, education and advocacy. Since May of 2013, the Adult Fontan clinic - the first of its kind in the United States - has combined the efforts of specialists from multiple areas to provide our patients with single ventricle physiology and the Fontan procedure optimal comprehensive care.

“There are now more adults than children in the U.S. with CHD,” said Mark Roeder, President and CEO of ACHA. “Accreditation will elevate the standard of care and have a positive impact on the futures of those living with this disease. Coordination of care is key, and this accreditation program will make care more streamlined for ACHD patients, improving their quality of life.”

About the Adult Congenital Heart Association
The Adult Congenital Heart Association (ACHA) is a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life and extending the lives of adults with congenital heart disease (CHD). ACHA serves and supports the more than one million adults with CHD, their families and the medical community—working with them to address the unmet needs of the long-term survivors of congenital heart defects through education, outreach, advocacy, and promotion of ACHD research. For more information about ACHA, contact (888) 921-ACHA or visit www.achaheart.org.

The ACHA ACHD Accreditation Program was partially funded by Actelion Pharmaceuticals U.S., Inc. ACHA and Actelion Pharmaceuticals have partnered together since 2007 to support the CHD community.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Alexis Shaw, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
614-293-3737
Alexis.shaw2@osumc.edu

About Nationwide Children's Hospital

Named to the Top 10 Honor Roll on U.S. News & WorldReport ‘s 2018-19 list of “Best Children’s Hospitals,” Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of America’s largest not-for-profit freestanding pediatric health care systems providing wellness, preventive, diagnostic, treatment and rehabilitative care for infants, children and adolescents, as well as adult patients with congenital disease. Nationwide Children’s has a staff of more than 13,000 providing state-of-the-art pediatric care during more than 1.4 million patient visits annually. As home to the Department of Pediatrics of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Nationwide Children’s physicians train the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric specialists. The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of the Top 10 National Institutes of Health-funded freestanding pediatric research facilities. More information is available at NationwideChildrens.org.